Aldi plans grocery store for Strike Zone site in New Bern

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Jan 19, 2017 at 4:53 PMJan 19, 2017 at 6:56 PM

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Aldi officials have submitted a site plan for a new grocery store at 3550 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. in New Bern, which is the current location of the Strike Zone bowling alley and family fun center.

The plan, which is being reviewed by city officials, calls for the 30,600-square-foot building that’s there now to be removed to make way for the new 20,000-square-foot grocery store.

The site plan is on the agenda for a Departmental Site Plan Review Committee meeting set for 9 a.m. Jan. 27 at the city’s Development Services office on First Street.

It’s unclear when the company hopes to start the project or open the store. Efforts to reach Justin Spruill, who is listed as the contact person with Aldi’s Raleigh office, were unsuccessful.

According to its company website, Aldi is a European-based grocery store chain that operates nearly 1,600 stores in the United States, including nearby locations in Kinston, Winterville and Wilson, with a Jacksonville store scheduled to open later this month. It specializes in low-cost grocery items, with about 90 percent of its products sold under Aldi brand names.

For his part, Mark Gatlin, owner and operator of the Strike Zone, confirmed that the property was under contract, but said the deal has not been finalized.

When asked if he planned to open a bowling alley and family fun center elsewhere if the sale goes through, Gatlin said he might, adding that he had been in preliminary discussions with others about opening a new facility.

“I’ll say this: There will probably be a bowling alley in New Bern,” he said, adding that any future decisions are contingent on the sale going through. “Until some papers are signed, I’m operating as if I’m going to be there.”

Craven County property records show the building on the 2.24-acre site was constructed in 1972. Before it was a bowling alley, the building was home to Askew’s Hardware.

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